This invention relates in general to electronic circuits for generation of combinatorial logic. More particularly, this invention relates to a universal logic module for use in programmable logic devices (PLDs).
A logic cell is the fundamental building block of a PLD. Each logic cell typically includes a logic array section to implement combinatorial ("sum of the products") logic and a register to provide for sequential logic. When combined together in large numbers inside a PLD, they facilitate implementation of complex combinatorial as well as sequential logic. Therefore, versatility and cell size are among the more important considerations in design of logic cells for PLDs.
There exist differing approaches to implementing the combinatorial logic section of a PLD logic cell. One approach employs electrically programmable read only memory (EPROM) elements to implement a programmable AND array that is followed by fixed OR logic. Another method of implementing the programmable combinatorial logic uses look-up tables that can be programmed using random access memory (RAM) cells. Either method requires a number of programmable elements that must be configured for a particular logic function before input variables are applied. Furthermore, existing logic cells tend to be inflexible when implementing frequently occurring specialized functions. For example, two logic cells are required to implement a full adder with carry output using typical existing logic cells.
There is, therefore, room for improvement in methods of implementing combinatorial logic for logic cells in PLDs.